Thursday, September 24, 2009

Paul McCartney, Donovan, And... Windows 7 Launch Parties?

Let's do the fun stuff first...
I found this last night and went absolutely nuts for it.
Two of my favorite musicians of all time, Paulie and Donovan, jamming in studio (this really makes me wish I could run Bit Torrent!)... so sit back and enjoy the next fifteen minutes of melodic bliss (and studio banter!).



Oh, and have you heard about this? Let's hope it's true, there wasn't anything released for the US Tour back in '05 (why didn't that happen, MPL?), so a Summer Live '09 album would be gear fab and that.

Moving along (not too soon for you, eh?), have you seen this?

October 22 is going to ROCK.
(In case you didn't know, October 22 is when Windows 7 is being released...)

Oh, parties... what a riot!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

It's OFFICIALLY Autumn!

Well, it won't be "official" until later on this afternoon, but close enough for government work.
I got my Better Homes and Gardens magazine this morning... Chinese Maple leaves with festive gourds and things of that nature are on the cover (I look forward to devouring the issue later on today), bringing to mind pumpkin-y treats with that special blend of spices that linger on the palette, long sleeves and chilly evenings with a good book. For the first time in months, I got to experience the joys of sleeping with the window open, waking up to the mild sunshine filtering in and a refreshingly cool breeze tickling your face (and warm puppies under the covers, too!).
Yes, I'm a sucker for autumn. I love it, and never in my life has this season brought any bittersweet feeling for the departure of summer... I can't wait to see the back of it!
So, until next year, Summer... get out, get out, get the HELL out!



Since this entire post is to celebrate the glorious changing of seasons, I thought I'd share one of my favorite sounds of autumn...

Monday, September 21, 2009

A WEEK?!?

I'm back from holiday!

Where did I go? I'll give you a clue... as we were stuck in traffic, we watched this show across the street.


This was the fourth time I've been to Vegas, and I only just realized that time doesn't exist on The Strip the same way it does every where else on the planet... you just keep doing things until your hotel calls you one night and tells you to get out.
That being said, you can see that some things have scaled back quite a bit
(thanks, sucky economy!), including one of my favorite things in the whole world, Cirque Du Soleil's LOVE... but we still had a good time!
If you don't feel like being trapped in a web of holiday slides with boring captions, please skip down past the slideshow.



In other news, much has happened since we left...
Russell Brand was on
The View, AND Jimmy Fallon
(watch, you might wet yourself), and,
somewhere along the way,
it turned into Autumn!
It's my favorite time of year, and as I speak (type?)
we're sitting with all the windows open,
enjoying all that life can offer.
I think it's CELEBRATORY SONG TIME!


ALSO...
Today, September 21, is Peace Day!
It's always prudent to
THINK PEACE,
ACT PEACE,
and IMAGINE PEACE (thank you, Yoko),
but it's nice to know there's a special day for it,
isn't there?
You know, like Thanksgiving!
If you feel so inclined,
celebrate by sending wishes to
Yoko's Wish Tree,
which will then be forwarded to
the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland
for John's birthday, October 9...
after you've done that,
watch this video,
it'll give you the collywobbles in a good way.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Ricky Gervais, Jonathan Ross, Halloween Bling, And, Of Course, The Beatles...

My sister is a gem... since she hasn't any time at the moment, I'm making a post fulled by something she sent me while she was out (no, not that decorating show)...
I present to you... THE HALLOWEEN SKULL FLASK! (And other All Hallows Eve bits and pieces that made me say "WTF?")



Moving swiftly along... have you seen this yet?
Photobucket

In other news, 9-9-09, aka Beatles Day, is approaching quickly (I'm jumping up and down with glee despite the fact that I have to wait until the end of October for my set), and to celebrate, USA Today put up a poll to see which of these seven Beatles-inspired artworks would be the commemorative pull-out in today's issue (I obviously missed the poll, or I'd have posted it sooner)... if you've got a favorite, you can still download it for use as your new desktop wallpaper!
I find it ironic that a lady named Suzy Parker won the contest...

Coincidence?

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Trick Or Treating In Forks, WA...

This wasn't what this entry was going to be about, but I figured, hey, what the hell, let's add it and say it's a treatsie.
Over the past month, my computer had been acting up... something was wrong with the wireless card, meaning I couldn't hook up to the Internet (gasp, horror) without an Ethernet cable. Since our wireless boxy thingy is in a closet, that didn't do me a whole lot of good. So, last week, my computer and I had to part ways. I had been using my mother's all of last week, and, to be perfectly honest, it was bugging me. Sure, Internet is worth it, but just barely. To my utter glee, my baby came home to me this fair morn! My reaction was something like this.
In other news (and really this post's purpose), I saw this and just KNEW I had to share it... the best part is what's on the inside!
Let's see... Flaming Pie, hot tea, my own computer, and Edward Cullen? Yes, my life is terribly cushy.

Happy Andy, Peetie Go Round, And The Suicidal Teddy Bear...

You may remember (or probably not, the rest of you have lives) I have previously mentioned that my mother and I are watching Supernatural (at lovely Ginger's request). You may also remember I mentioned that I enjoy the show, not for the subject matter, but that I get a charge out of twisting everything they do to fit my disturbing sense of humor.
As I sit here, listening to The Marmalade permeate our little patch of brick and mortar, I'm grinning to myself as I imagine Russell Brand's commentary on the clip I'm about to share with you. No doubt about it, this is the best clip I've seen, it's already my favorite, and I doubt I'll tire of it in a hurry.
Without further ado, I present Happy Andy, Peetie Go Round, And The Suicidal Teddy Bear...

Did it live up to your expectations? When I first saw it, as the camera panned to the wall, I screamed "TELL ME IT'S GUNNA BE FIBER FILL!"... imagine my glee! Oh, the simple joys...

Friday, August 21, 2009

Boosh In Denver?

I received an interesting notice from the official Mighty Boosh MySpace today...
I thought it through, and I figured Denver would be a great place for them to go... not only is Denver a college town, but they would draw from Boulder (also a college town), and let's face it, a majority of the folks that like Boosh are University twits. I'm apparently not the only one with that mind frame... at the time of this post, thirty other people have 'demanded' they go to the Denver metro area... if you feel so inclined, participate!

Demand The Mighty Boosh in Denver!
The Mighty Boosh in Denver - Learn more about this Eventful Demand


Now, enjoy a skit from The Mighty Boosh night!

"Leave Me Alone, Mrs. Madgiter" And Other Things Of Note...

I couldn't post this last night, since our hotel didn't have Internet access...
but we made it to Paul (AGAIN!).
We hit the sound check a little later this time, since the heat and humidity in Arlington just about killed us to begin with, and, to our great luck, we only had to wait about thirty minutes before Macca drove by. (I have only just realized that when I say we "hit the sound check" I'm not making myself very clear. We don't actually get to go inside and hear the sound check, but we wait for Paul to drive into the venue as he arrives for his part of the sound check.) It was BY FAR the BEST sound check I've ever been to. Some crazed lady actually got past security and rushed his SUV, meaning the driver stopped the car, and we got KILLER pictures.
The first one is my mandatory "I took that one myself" picture, and Mama was on the Cannon. I was very worried about this, since she's notorious for cutting people's heads off in photos, but you'll see that she took some gear shots.
See you on the other side of the slide show!


Wasn't that fun?
Now, for the concert... I'll tell you, Cowboys Stadium is freakin' HUGE. We asked five different people (literally) how to get to our seats (which ended up being Club Seating, right on the 53rd yard line, fab spots for a game), and each one told us something different.
As for the show itself, you can pretty much guess what I'm going to say... how do you beat Paul McCartney? You don't. (Something that may be of interest to you, or maybe just to me... not only does Paul knuckle-bump, but he adds an explosion at the end. Make of it what you will.)
And my favorite flub of the night... during "Mrs. Vandebilt", instead of the lyric "leave me alone Mrs. Washington..." he seemed to forget the Mrs. Washington part, and instead made it "leave me alone Mrs. Madgiter..." which thrilled me to tears, for some odd reason.
This was, of course, a much bigger venue than BOK Center (BOK only holds 13,000, and it was sold out. There were about 50,000 at Cowboys Stadium.), meaning there wasn't as much audience participation, and I noticed Paul didn't seem to have near as much fun with a larger crowd as with a smaller one. Neither did I, actually. The guy next to me was nice and quiet, but he did have one flaw. He wiggled. Now, when you're holding binoculars, you don't want some overweight guy bouncing around in his chair to EVERY SONG BUT ONE. Not only that, but we must have been sitting in the overactive bladder section... I lost count of how many times people got up and down for more Miller (as the lady behind us so kindly complained during the ENTIRE SHOW that they didn't have any Budweiser). Eventually, people started poking me when they wanted out, since I had a pair of binoculars glued to my eyes for the duration of the show... except, of course, on "Live And Let Die", which blew me away. Not because Paul's voice was any better, or the band did something different... no, this time, not only was there fire, but FIREWORKS! (You must forgive me, I'm a slight pyromaniac.)
Perhaps the funnest surprise of the night (yes, even more fun than fireworks) was when Paul broke out Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy", which, apparently, he only saves for Texas shows... not many people know, but I've had both a fascination and a love for Buddy's music since I was a wee naif, so to have Paul sing Buddy was a magical experience.
Now, enough about Cowboys Stadium, I feel I've slighted the Tulsa show for far too long (don't worry, I'll try not to bore you to tears).
All I can say is that it was magical. Paul was in top form, and he was having a blast, jumping around the stage, doing his little Paul dance, making jokes, and melting the faces off the crowd.
I feel the need to publicly apologize to the people around me for the show in Tulsa. You see, when a concert is as it's supposed to be, where I can see the artist without using screens or binoculars, I scream. Very, very loudly. The guy in front of me had to plug his ears, and the people next to me kept looking at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my nose... oh, and I can't forget this guy, either, sorry to him, too. (He was really into Helter Skelter... and good for him, that was the best live version of that song I've ever heard... rock on, guy, rock on...) What amazed me about Tulsa was the sense of reverence... I didn't see anybody get up to leave, there weren't any obnoxious people anywhere near us (except me, of course).
I said I wouldn't bore you (hey, who are you going to blame, you're the one that's read this far...), so have a video from Tulsa! (WATCH IT IN HQ!)


You know, if what Mr. Moran says is true, then I had a freaking blast in Tulsa...

I screamed so hard I literally felt my nasal cavity squirm, and so loud that I gargled my own blood. I did, however, keep both ears.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

"PAUL! SIGN MY VARICOSE VEIN!"

Well, well, well, well, well. What can I say?
In case you didn't know, I saw Paul McCartney today (and wet myself as I typed that sentence).
We waited two hours outside the back gate of the BOK Center (in Tulsa) for Paul to go into the sound check... we had to get the shot of Paul going in, so I was on the Kodak, Daddy was on the Cannon, and, in true McCartney sound check form, I was the only one to get a picture. Since the lag time on the Kodak is one photo every twenty seconds (not literally, but it feels like it sometimes), we're bloody lucky to have gotten the one picture (again).
The show itself was phenomenal, Paul melted faces, as usual. I can't say anything besides this was the best concert I've ever seen, and I had seen Paul perform two times previous... he was in exceptionally rockin' form.
Our seats couldn't have been better, by the way... when the pyrotechnics went off on "Live and Let Die", we could feel the heat on our faces.
Enjoy a slide show of our day (we took a whole bunch'a more pictures, but this is all I have time for right now... and a nifty article here)...


Oh, I LOVE THAT MAN!

Friday, August 14, 2009

A Leg Up On Her Competition...

This was just too good to pass up...
I don't keep up with "celebrities", but since Paul's divorce from Heather Mills, I've kept tabs on what she's up to.
Don't ask me why, don't ask me how, all I know is that this article tickled my fancy.
Why don't we ask the Goth Detectives what they think?


Anything else?
YES. IT'S RANDOM CLIP TIME!

You are now free to go about your normal business.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Bloody Fantastic Remasters!

When I plan a post like this, I am reminded of the evening that my sister set up this blog. As she was working her magic, I thought to myself "If you actually ever use this stupid thing, try not to put too much Paul in it". (Please, suppress your laughter. And while we're on the subject of that adorable man, here's an interesting article from the Liverpool Echo...)
Sucky segway aside, we're going to talk about the Beatles remasters!
I've already got the whole catalog (a wonderful Christmas present from a few years ago), both in stereo and mono (an enhanced direct-needle drop version from Germany... much better than the 1980's remasters), yet, knowing it was quite an expensive indulgence ("FOR SOMETHING I ALREADY HAVE", I still scream at myself), I was somehow convinced to get the new fancy schmancy version... I'm still trying to work out how that happened... but when I listen to these 30 second clips from Amazon, I realize I don't care WHY I caved, I just find myself wanting more! (And what EMI guy can I thank for the previews being Revolver and The White Album? Genius marketing on their part.)
I'm excited to say I got the mono versions (as I find them FAR superior to stereo), if anything for the mere fact that The Fabs recorded in mono until '69, therefore, you get the album as they intended it to be heard, not from some studio mixers (who got zero input from the band, and about as much from their producer, George Martin).
The only drawback is I won't be getting them on the release date (9-9-09... that's fun to type, try it sometime), but will have to wait until October for them (they'll be a birthday present... if my dear Mummie hadn't known whether I'd like the mono or stereo versions, I probably wouldn't know about all this...)

I'm done fangirling (for now), so let's switch gears, shall we?
How about candy blood bags?
It brings to mind an episode of Tales From The Crypt that I caught recently (what a fun show from my early childhood! Ginger would come home from school for lunch, and when she wasn't watching Saved By The Bell, we would watch Tales From The Crypt together... it was a thing of ours)...
unfortunately, YouTube doesn't have a single clip from that gruesome installment for me to add, however, if you are interested in the full episode, head here.
Well, I can't mention Tales From The Crypt without adding a clip! Preposterous! I've always held a special place in my TV viewing heart for The Crypt Keeper (whatever happened to that guy?)... this will just have to do.

You know, I didn't remember until I saw the full intro, but I always wanted to live in that house... you know, spruce it up a bit, give it a swish round with a hearty feather duster... it could be a beautiful place! Although, at five years old, my favorite show (and it remains my favorite American show) was The Munsters, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

Random song time! (Some guy requested this song on the radio the other day, and I can't get it out of my head!)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Oompa Loompas, Taxidermy, And The 1910 Fruitgum Company...

This blog wouldn't be nearly as entertaining if Graham Linehan didn't find these things... today's special, The Crappy Taxidermy online museum (this is a fabulous time-waster, if you should be in need of one)! And I thought I had some weird interests...

Speaking of my odd interests, take a look at this absolutely hilarious news post from the nerds at TMZ.
This calls for a clip!


And now... something completely different...

OK, so maybe that special post I made last month wasn't my last word on Jacko. Sue me.

For some reason or other, it just seems that this song needs to be added to this post...


Well, this was like an adventure in ADD, wasn't it? OH, LOOK! A CHICKEN!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Adventures In Insanity...

It's terrible quality, but the best we're going to get...


Consider that video a way to ease you into what's coming next.
As if this wasn't funny enough (and an incredibly awkward subject to breech), we're going to play with it a little further.
Somebody you love dies, right? You get them cremated, shove 'em in an urn... then what? I mean, just an urn above the fireplace... it's very drab, innit?
NEVER FEAR! If you don't mind your beloved being stuck inside his own head, you can have this freaky thing stare at you from the mantle! Now you'll never have to miss his face... just stick his ashes in it!
Before I make any further an ass of myself, we're going to move swiftly along.

We caught the first twenty minutes of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film last night... what an odd experience! This video should give you some idea of the film, in case you've never seen it...


I think we have time for one more oddity from my brainbox before you unsubscribe...
my lovely sister has my mother and I watching Supernatural, one of her favorite shows. I have a fun time with it, especially since, if you haven't guessed, I get a kick out of twisting things to fit my peculiar sense of humor (don't you feel sorry for my poor Mummy)... this show can easily be bent, it's a real riot if I'm in the right mindframe. I have only one complaint... one of the main characters, Sam (I prefer to call him Happy Andy), has a tendency to be a little emotional, which gets VERY old after a few episodes.
During a particularly corny installment in the second season (the one we're currently watching), the other main character, Dean (AKA Peetie Go Round), gives his take on the other... why do I mention this to you? 'Cause it's a bloody riot!


I have way too much free time on my hands...